Player Lowdown

Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS: A well-put-together athlete and looks the part with a tall, long frame. Physical runner and not afraid to lower his pads, making it like trying to bring down a tree trunk with his finishing toughness. Above average arm strength to quickly load and fire with effortless velocity to get away with flat-footed throws.

Strongly-built and stout in the pocket to shake off defenders and bounce right back up after hits. Good quickness and scrambling ability to make plays with his legs (1,359 career rushing yards). Appears calm and under control in the huddle and stays even-keeled despite mistakes.

Toughs out injuries and will play through pain. Good head on his shoulders and displays natural leadership traits. Has developed thick skin and mental toughness. Several school-records, including consecutive quarterback starts (40), career completions (693), career rushing scores by a quarterback (24) and career passing touchdowns (53).

WEAKNESSES: Very streaky ball placement and accuracy. Inconsistent footwork and mechanics are a big reason for his erratic passing, struggling to reset his lower body when moved from his spot. Needs to stay balanced through his delivery.

Suspect field vision and questionable passing instincts. Needs to speed up his eyes use and decipher his reads quicker. Seems to have a handful of mind-boggling decisions each game. Throws too many fastballs and needs to develop touch and timing to deliver more catchable balls.

Holds the ball too long and needs to develop his internal clock. Mixed results when responding vs. extra pressure. Not heavy, but lacks explosion in his movements. Questionable ball security and holds the ball too loose as a runner. Battled through strained abdomen in 2013 and durability will always be a concern with his physical run style when scrambling.

All his career-bests statistically came as a sophomore as he struggled to show much development the past two seasons. Some passion concerns - how badly does he want to be a NFL QB?

--Dane Brugler

Player Overview

Thomas didn't start playing football until the eighth grade and lined up at both receiver and quarterback in high school. He was ranked as the No. 1 prep tight end recruit and was recruited as a receiver, tight end and H-Back by college programs (only Duke wanted him to play quarterback).

He somewhat reluctantly moved to quarterback shortly after arriving at Virginia Tech and redshirted in 2009 before serving as a back-up in 2010. Thomas took over for Tyrod Taylor as the starting QB in 2011 as a sophomore and flashed intriguing potential, but his production tailed off his final two seasons in Blacksburg - didn't receive much help from the talent around him.

He looks the part with his above average size, athleticism and arm strength, but his ball placement, touch and overall decision-making are strong red flags. He'll throw some beautiful passes, but made way too many freshman mistakes as a senior.

Thomas is a hard worker and has a positive outlook, but needs to show continued confidence if he hopes to have a future at the position. He has all the physical tools, but he is admittedly still raw and developing - will the rest every catch up? Thomas' NFL ceiling is a question mark due to his inconsistency and unpolished feel as a passer, but he is worth a flier in the middle rounds.

05/12/2014 - On Friday night, coach Bruce Arians seemed to rule out the Cardinals drafting a quarterback. About 15 hours later, they took Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas in the fourth round. "I lied pretty good," Arians said. "I didn't want anybody jumping in front of us. There were teams calling him to see if anybody else had called yet. I know two teams that were going to take him right behind us.' On Friday, Arians was asked how he would respond to fans who believed the team should have drafted a quarterback, Arians responded: 'Why? We've got three pretty good ones and you don't take quarterbacks if they're not going to beat the guys out that you have. I know people rate quarterbacks. I've been doing this for a long time, rating quarterbacks. I like ours better." Arians said the top of the depth chart won't change. Carson Palmer is the starter. Drew Stanton is the backup. Thomas will compete with Ryan Lindley for the No. 3 job. - The Sports Xchange